Ejection abnormality detection method, and liquid ejection device

Abstract

A liquid is ejected which has a volume exceeding a volume for forming a dot of a maximum size used in regular liquid ejection to output a high load pattern, an ejection abnormality detection pattern is output for detecting an ejection element abnormality within a specific period of time from outputting the high load pattern, read data of the output ejection abnormality detection pattern is acquired, and the acquired read data is analyzed to detect an abnormal ejection element.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An ejection abnormality detection method, comprising:
 a high load pattern outputting step of ejecting a liquid which has a volume exceeding a volume for forming a dot of a maximum size used in regular liquid ejection to output a high load pattern; 
 an ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step of outputting an ejection abnormality detection pattern for detecting an ejection element abnormality within a specific period of time from outputting the high load pattern in the high load pattern outputting step; 
 a read data acquiring step of acquiring read data of the ejection abnormality detection pattern output in the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step; and 
 an analyzing step of analyzing the read data acquired in the read data acquiring step to detect an abnormal ejection element. 
 
     
     
       2. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step, the ejection abnormality detection pattern is successively output plural times, and 
 in the analyzing step, a part or all of the read data of a plurality of ejection abnormality detection patterns output in the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step are analyzed. 
 
     
     
       3. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the high load pattern outputting step, the high load pattern is constituted by a dot formed of a liquid having a volume of 60% or more of a maximum ejection volume which can be ejected from a liquid ejection head that is an object of ejection abnormality detection. 
 
     
     
       4. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the high load pattern outputting step, the high load pattern is constituted by a dot formed of a liquid having a volume of 1.25 times or more the liquid having the volume for forming the dot of the maximum size used in the regular liquid ejection. 
 
     
     
       5. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the analyzing step, the high load pattern is not an object of analysis, and the ejection abnormality detection pattern is an object of analysis. 
 
     
     
       6. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the high load pattern outputting step, in a case where a plurality of liquid ejection heads are objects of ejection abnormality detection, the high load pattern of each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads is output to the same region on a medium. 
 
     
     
       7. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the high load pattern outputting step, in a case where a plurality of liquid ejection heads are objects of ejection abnormality detection, the high load pattern of each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads is output to a different region on a medium. 
 
     
     
       8. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an elapsed time period determination step of determining whether or not an elapsed time period from outputting of a previous high load pattern exceeds a predefined regulation time period,
 wherein in the high load pattern outputting step, in a case where the elapsed time period from outputting of the previous high load pattern is determined to exceed the predefined regulation time period in the elapsed time period determination step, the high load pattern is output. 
 
     
     
       9. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an elapsed time period determination step of determining whether or not an elapsed time period from outputting of a previous high load pattern exceeds a predefined regulation time period,
 wherein in the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step, in a case where the elapsed time period from outputting of the previous high load pattern is determined to be the predefined regulation time period or less in the elapsed time period determination step, the ejection abnormality detection pattern is output, 
 in the high load pattern outputting step, in a case where the elapsed time period from outputting of the previous high load pattern is determined to exceed the predefined regulation time period in the elapsed time period determination step, the high load pattern is output, and in a case where the elapsed time period from outputting of the previous high load pattern is determined to be the predefined regulation time period or less in the elapsed time period determination step, the high load pattern is output after the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step. 
 
     
     
       10. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step, the ejection abnormality detection pattern is output to a same medium as a medium to which the high load pattern is output in the high load pattern outputting step. 
 
     
     
       11. The ejection abnormality detection method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the ejection abnormality detection pattern outputting step, the ejection abnormality detection pattern is output to a medium immediately following a medium to which the high load pattern is output in the high load pattern outputting step. 
 
     
     
       12. A liquid ejection device, comprising:
 a liquid ejection head provided with an ejection element for ejecting a liquid; 
 a high load pattern data generation device which ejects a liquid that has a volume exceeding a volume for forming a dot of a maximum size used in regular liquid ejection to generate high load pattern data in outputting a high load pattern; 
 an ejection abnormality detection pattern data generation device which generates ejection abnormality detection pattern data in outputting an ejection abnormality detection pattern for detecting an ejection element abnormality; 
 a read data acquisition device which acquires read data of the ejection abnormality detection pattern output from the liquid ejection head; 
 an analysis device which analyzes the read data acquired by the read data acquisition device to detect an abnormal ejection element; and 
 an ejection control device which controls liquid ejection of the liquid ejection head based on the high load pattern data generated by the high load pattern data generation device in outputting the high load pattern from the liquid ejection head, and controls liquid ejection of the liquid ejection head based on the ejection abnormality detection pattern data generated by the ejection abnormality detection pattern data generation device within a specific period of time from outputting the high load pattern in outputting the ejection abnormality detection pattern from the liquid ejection head. 
 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable recording medium including an ejection abnormality detection program for a liquid ejection device which includes a liquid ejection head provided with an ejection element for ejecting a liquid, stored thereon, the program causing a computer to function as:
 a high load pattern data generation device which ejects a liquid that has a volume exceeding a volume for forming a dot of a maximum size used in regular liquid ejection to generate high load pattern data in outputting a high load pattern; 
 an ejection abnormality detection pattern data generation device which generates ejection abnormality detection pattern data in outputting an ejection abnormality detection pattern for detecting an ejection element abnormality; 
 a read data acquisition device which acquires read data of the ejection abnormality detection pattern output from the liquid ejection head; 
 an analysis device which analyzes the read data acquired by the read data acquisition device to output an abnormal ejection element; and 
 an ejection control device which controls liquid ejection of the liquid ejection head on the basis of the high load pattern data generated by the high load pattern data generation device in outputting the high load pattern from the liquid ejection head, and controls liquid ejection of the liquid ejection head on the basis of the ejection abnormality detection pattern data generated by the ejection abnormality detection pattern data generation device within a specific period of time from outputting the high load pattern in outputting the ejection abnormality detection pattern from the liquid ejection head.